


The Wolf of Maycomb County

by bigperryman



Category: To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Genre: 1930s, Other, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6459232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigperryman/pseuds/bigperryman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Scout is attacked suddenly by a strange dog-wolf to be exact-Atticus has to find his finger back on his trigger to be able to hunt down the apparent offspring of the creature.  Atticus is smart though.  He never took Jem's suggestion of werewolves to mind, until he saw that the wolf had distinct body language that he recognized.</p>
<p>Maybe he would just have to help the creature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wolf of Maycomb County

It had been a year or two since Tom Robinson passed.  Aunt Alexandrea finally left back to Finch's Landing and Atticus went back to playing with Jem and Scout.  Jem had gotten to where he didn't want to play much, but Scout was eleven years old and had wriggled her way into what Atticus called "adolescence."  
  
When she asked him what that meant, he told her as the dictionary term for a word; "Well, Scout, it's the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult."  He ruffled up her hair and gave her shoulder a pat, striding away slowly to make his way down the street as he always had before.  Then she asked Calpurnia about it after hours of coloring and contemplating the statement.  
  
"Is that what Jem's going through?"  
  
"Yes, baby," she sighed and smiled, sitting a glass of lemonade in front of her.  
  
"Is that why you call him Mister Jem now?"  
  
"Yep...  Best not mess with him.  He doesn't like to be bothered.  What you _can_  do is take him this cookie and lemonade, though."  She just did like Cal told her to, but Cal stopped her at the screen door.  "Scout?"  
  
"Yes ma'am?"  
  
"Nothin'.  Run along," she answered in a softer tone and Scout walked to the backyard.  Jem perched up in a tree and stared down at her when she showed up barefooted in the grass.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I brought you a cookie, Jem."  He slowly climbed down out of the tree and sighed.  He didn't want to play anymore after Atticus lost the case.  
  
"Thanks, Scout."  He eyed the tire as Scout did.  Finally his old smile came back after he took a few bites of the soft cookie.  "Wanna play?"  She couldn't remember the last time he asked her that.  Of course she said yes.  They didn't have to worry about making Boo Radley coming out.  He had already saved the duo from Bob Ewell and Scout walked him back to his home when he asked to go back.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Got nothin' better to do.  Dill ain't comin' back this year."  
  
"Atticus is almost home," she murmured to myself, but she ran to the front yard with Jem anyways.  He jumped up on their tire swing and Scout pushed the swing before hopping up to join him.  They laughed and had fun like old times...  Until the five o'clock bell rang.  
  
As fast as the blink of an eye they hopped down and ran down the pavement with our feet hitting hard.  Atticus took off his hat and ran towards us as fast as he could.  He had never done that before.  "Scout, move!"  Something was wrong.   _"Scout!"_ Jem ran faster, but something tackled Scout to the ground.  Jem backed away slowly and Atticus threw his glasses to the ground.  She had never seen a wolf before.  It bit her on the shoulder and scratched down her other arm and the side of her neck.  Even though it did this, it was still a beautiful creature.  "Jem, get Calpurnia," he ordered in a short, strict yelp.  Jem took off to the house and screamed for Cal while Scout felt everything inside of her burning.  The wolf stopped being so brutal.  Jem brought Cal and his gun.  Atticus snatched up the gun and aimed it at the animal, hesitating for a minute.  
  
He pursed his lips and Scout smiled kindly at the animal while it stared at her and licked her wounds.  "Hey," she whispered, but she jumped when the gun cracked and the wolf landed on top of her in a heap of grey.  "Atticus, why would you do that!"  
  
"He tried to hurt you," Atticus explained and picked her up quickly.  
  
"No he didn't-"  
  
"Yes he did, now don't talk back to me!"  She began to cry.  Scout could remember only one time Atticus had ever raised his voice at her.  He took his hands off her shoulders and threw his arms around her tightly, rocking her.  "Calpurnia, take her back to the house and fix her wounds please."  
  
"Yes sir," she replied in a soft tone and she picked her up.  She couldn't stop crying.  Scout just held onto her dress collar and stared at Atticus, who stared right back.  
  
"I'm sorry," he mouthed to himself and found his glasses, putting them on slowly.  
  
\----------  
  
"At that the artist had to laugh out loud, but it was not his old sad sort of laugh, this was like a boy's-and he took them both into his arms. Then there were three sounds of joy-"  
  
"Scout," Atticus sighed and pried the book from her hands.  "Are you sure you aren't hurt?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure," she murmured and Atticus put his hand to his mouth with a little nod.  "Atticus?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Will you read this time?"  He smiled a bit and slid his feet out of his black dress shoes, lying down with Scout.  He wrapped the blankets around her as well as his arm and he held the book open, crossing his legs.  
  
_"Now let me laugh and let me cry, with happiness, to know at last, I'll see him famous e'er I die, with all his poverty in the past.  I'll see the sand of the garden walk marked with the footprints of the great, and noblemen shall stand and talk at ease about my master's gate..."_ He smiled a bit when her head rolled onto his chest and he shut the book, placing it softly on the nightstand.  "Goodnight, Scout," he whispered and pulled her bangs out of his face, kissing her forehead.  
  
Slowly he stood back up and flipped the light switch, shutting the door until it was cracked.  The past few years had been hard on the kids, but things were slowly getting better.  
  
As he turned the light on in the living room, he grabbed his own book and pushed up his glasses until he heard a loud knock at the door.  He put the book back down and walked to the door, cracking it open to the screen door.  "Good evening, Atticus."  
  
"Miss Maudie," he replied generously and opened the door for her, holding open the screen porch door.  She smoothed out her dress and walked slowly into the family room.  "Did you hear about Scout?"  
  
"That's why I came over, so I could check on you."  
  
"She's alright I think.  We cleaned up the blood and just a few scratches were deep.  No harm done otherwise, though."  He smiled to her and pushed up his glasses once again.  "Cal, put the teapot on please."  
  
  
"Yes sir," Calpurnia called from the kitchen.  
  
"Did she get upset about it?"  
  
"Yes," he sighed and took a seat in his chair, gesturing to a seat near him.  She sat and smiled fondly at her hands.  
  
"She's such a sweet girl."  
  
"I know.  I wish she wouldn't get so upset over creatures, though."  
  
"She's just like you, Atticus.  She looks at someone and finds their good qualities."  He nodded a little and jumped a bit at a loud thump and a grunt from upstairs.  He looked to the ceiling with Miss Maudie and she covered her mouth a little.  "What was that?"  
  
"Just Scout getting out of bed or something," he answered to make her feel comforted.  
  
In reality he was terrified that she was hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> EXCERPT FROM THE BEGINNING AND THE LITTLE POEM IS FROM THE BOOK THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN BY ELIZABETH COATSWORTH


End file.
